By Jerome A. Cohen
Navalny’s death, like the previous years of his life, illustrates the differences that still exist between the PRC’s currently totalitarian criminal justice system and Russia’s authoritarian counterpart. Can you imagine the PRC giving noted political prisoners the continuing access that Navalny had to public opinion via various direct and indirect methods? What has happened to the outspoken public lawyer Gao Zhisheng, “disappeared” many years ago? We know what has finally happened to Xu Zhiyong and some of his public interest lawyer colleagues now serving long criminal sentences after extended pre-trial detention, but we do not hear from them. Of course, the PRC no longer pretends to have even Russian-style “free elections” that might require the appearance of opposition and any suggestion of independent media opinion.